Letters - May 2025

Reading your review of Pete Lyons’ new book My Travels on Racer Road [Bohemian rhapsody, April] I remembered this photo with Pete and Jenks, above, from the Silverstone paddock in 1974 or ’75. I think Bubbles Horsley of Hesketh is behind them. Pete and DSJ were my favourite journalists throughout the 1970s replaced eventually in the 1980s by Nigel Roebuck. Pete’s book looks like a wonderful read but at £70 it’s a bit too expensive. Here’s hoping for
a cheaper paperback version soon.

The Motor Sport issues so far in 2025 have been exceptional. Congratulations to all and please keep them coming.

Phil Darby, via email

I read with interest the article about the oldest F1 winners [Matters of Moment: Top 5, March]. Is it really correct that Luigi Fagioli was hauled from his car and then walked away? No mention of that in the race reports in Motor Sport. I know that he was known for his temper but I don’t think he walked away from his car at Reims 1951.

Further more, I must congratulate you for a very interesting magazine.

Christer Svensson, Ödeshög, Sweden

You’re correct, there is no mention of the Fagioli strop in Motor Sport’s report from 1951, but he quit F1 that day – Ed

I will not be alone in pointing out that the photograph of Damon Hill [Letters, April] at Silverstone is him in an F3 car in 1987, not an F3000 car in 1988, which due to the letter’s subject I’m sure was the intention.

Andrew Scoley, Bracebridge Heath, Lincs

Our error. Apologies to the many readers who wrote in (and to Damon!) – Ed

I’m sure the car Damon is pictured driving on Letters is an F3. However I will look forward to the F3000 article.

I’ve often thought I’d like to read more on that subject as it’s one of the last great non-one-make series before engineers and their data took over. Many of the F1 drivers I admired came through it earlier in their careers and I do remember Damon’s heroic under-financed efforts.

Jeremy Wheatley, via email  

Rouen’s history alone makes it worth a visit, as your article says (Matters of Moment: Great Lost Circuits, April). But while it is a fossil of a circuit, there are more remains than the article suggests. Despite being fenced off from the road, the pit area may be entered by an access road from Le Chemin des Étoiles, or by scrambling over a ditch into the woods, just down the hill from the start/finish line. Now used to store weathering timber, the Tarmac still bears markings of its original use.

Then at Six Frères is a new memorial, raised by the family of Gerry Birrell, one of the six ‘brothers in motor sport’, including Jo Schlesser, who all died at Rouen. A worthwhile place to visit and remember.

John Davies, Haverbreaks, Lancaster 

We wrote about the campaign to create a memorial to Gerry Birrell in our October ’22 issue, available via the online archive – Ed

Many thanks for the short article on Rouen-les-Essarts. Many years ago I took a summer road trip around France and one of the early stops was at the Rouen racing circuit.

I drove the two-thirds of the circuit that still existed, then I parked up where the pits used to be, climbed over a barbed-wire fence and had a root around among the brambles and nettles. The result was a white-lined piece of track edge which makes a useful paperweight on my desk, below.

I was in awe that the Six Frères downhill run was all but flat in a pre-wing, skinny-tyred 1960s F1 car; I recall David Purely saying the only way to get near to flat was to scream into his helmet on the way down to the hairpin.

Simon Arbuthnot, London

Andrew Hodgson’s letter and image of Niki Lauda during preparation for the 1975 lnternational Trophy at Silverstone in the winning Ferrari 312 T [Letters, April] brought back fond memories of that race, a clear marker for his F1 championship later in the year. Ladbrokes had him at 100/1 to win it, so l put on a tenner! Thanks Niki.

I have some pics from the 1976 Race of Champions at Brands Hatch, right. Niki brought the 312 T2 into the grotty old pits with his helmet and other gear in a big leather bag on the wing. He signed my 1975 Autocourse annual as l took a close-up.

Vittorio Brambilla was also in the pits that day, waiting for his mechanics to arrive, as was Jacky Ickx. The former kindly autographed my Autocourse annual right next to the photograph of him winning the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix with the nose hanging off his Beta March!

And Tom Pryce was in the paddock with his wife, also with lckx.

Can it all have been 50 years ago? When grand prix racing was not ‘Ef wun’, drivers smiled as they signed autographs, even Jody Scheckter – and grandstand seats cost six quid. Happy days.

Pat Doyle, Hungerford

I have been a member of the tifosi since 1970, but viewing the SF-25 depicted in the April issue [Formula 1: your season starts here] my heart sinks. So many different sponsor logos littering the bodywork with no real sense of order or co-ordination. In addition the shade of Rosso Corsa appears to be burgundy rather than scarlet. No doubt it plays better on TV.

Then I flick back a few pages and that image of the 312 T at Silverstone [Letters] – still in my humble opinion the most beautiful grand prix car ever created – and note how much cleaner its lines are, devoid of those dreaded decals and remember that this was a time when Ferrari dictated that only companies that directly contributed to the performance of the car could have their logos on the bodywork.

I’m not naive enough to think that we can return to those simpler times, but I do regret their passing.

Bryan Caldwell, Vancouver, Canada

A fine article on the non-championship F1 races by Matt Bishop [When non-championship races gave F1’s B-list a chance to shine, March] on the rather good Motor Sport website. My very first F1 race was the International Trophy at Silverstone in 1959 and have followed motor sport (races and magazine!) ever since. Before their sad demise I attended most non-championship races at Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Goodwood and, of course, Crystal Palace!

Just one very small error. The photo caption states “the very first Race of Champions at Brands Hatch in 1965”.

However, the photo is actually of the Easter Monday 1965 Goodwood F1 race for the Sunday Mirror Trophy… the clue is the Sunday Mirror banner and, I would guess, it looks like Madgwick. Daily Express sponsored the Silverstone races and usually the Daily Mail the RoC (I’ll get my anorak!).

Keep up the good work.

David Fox, Pennsylvania